A NAVY veteran from Rossendale has spoken of his emotional visit to the graves of comrades killed in a wartime tragedy.

Frank Dickinson, 80, from Ramsbottom, has returned from a trip to Papua New Guinea, where he paid a moving tribute to more than 20 of his shipmates who died on board HMS Glenearn in April 1945.

An accident on the ship, when high octane fuel leaked and was sparked into a fire by a short-circuit, saw the men lose their lives - many of them friends of Frank.

The leading steward survived because he was in his cabin on the upper deck when the terrible blaze broke out.

The pensioner's visit was funded by the multi-million pound Lottery Heroes Return Awards, organised by the Big Lottery Fund.

He was one of thousands of World War Two veterans from across the country who revisited foreign shores during the 60th anniversary of the end of the war to honour those who died.

Frank, of Bury New Road, was accompanied by son Paul as his carer on his travels to the Lae War Cemetery, in Papua New Guinea - his first visit to the island.

Many of the war heroes were buried at sea, but Frank had the names of nine men buried at Lae and discovered a tenth victim who died later at hospital.

He said: "People who died on the ship before we got to land were buried at sea, but a lot were taken to hospital and died there.

"The trip went very well. It was a very moving experience. It brought it all back. I have never actually been to the island itself as the accident happened at sea.

"It was something I have always wanted to do, to see the names of the people and pay my respects."

He recalled the horror of caring for two of the men before their death when there was nothing more sick bay could do for them.

Paul said: "It was very emotional for him. We said a prayer there. The list of names he had contained nine, two of whom he nursed personally and he got quite emotional when he saw their graves."

Frank also visited Bangkok and stayed with relatives in Australia before travelling to Papua New Guinea.